I've thought about our decision from a while ago for if HC went bad, how for KCandK we'd just say they had some bad mushrooms or all had a weird, long, shared dream or something, and how Ch'dau and Ara would be like, "Oh, wow, that was awful! We were locked up for weeks! Ch'dau almost succumbed to his wounds! And you were tortured Kith, that must have been awful!"

And Kith would be like, "Oh . . . uh . . . yeah . . . torture. Yep, that's what I was up to! Painful . . . bone crushing . . . hot--I mean terrible terrible torture!"

I'm just watching Aranwen's psyche shatter like glass in HC, and can't help but think... that is exactly the outcome Morgana would want if she used magic akin to that of phantasmal killer on Aranwen.

As she said before

The desperate are the easiest for her to influence, to make them dance to her threads

...and given how things have turned out in HC I'm not sure that dismissing it as a dream/hallucination.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that Ch'dau is gonna wind up just as broken as Ara (assuming he even survives, of course). I have a sneaking suspicion that after leaving D'hurgan's temple, he'll likely disappear for a while... Maybe resume his hunt for a way back to Capasha in earnest? Or go back to Crandel and play bouncer at the Nicked Shill?

Of course, as Olan and I have discussed, I'm not entirely sure that Ch'dau would be welcomed back in Capasha... Too much time among the monkeys, you know? He's a much different kitty than the one who fell through that faerie ring all those years ago. He'd be banished or killed, most likely. A hut in Sylvaria is sounding better all the time.

Yeah, there is that. I get that. Kith is just . . . not home anymore either. I had been reading up on torture victims and breaking minds and, I dunno, you're not alone in those dark brain spaces. I've been thinking about and imagining a lot of what it would take for my mind to break and just become a different person--the same, but different. It's not great.

Hence the humor here and there to counteract all the s***.

Writing in KCandK has been really helpful too. It's the happiest Kith had been in a long time and playing around in that Kithy head is a lot more bright and fun and not so sad as where her mind is in LK or as horrific and torn apart as it becomes in HC.

Good. Times.

About not dismissing it . . . yeah, I've thought about that too. But you guys should just go get her. Two shattered minds are the perfect solution to fix a mind that's not even home anymore, right? *poke poke* Right?

Aranwen is in a very precarious position right now, mentally speaking. If she should be able to move... I can't claim to know what actions she will take beyond doing whatever she can to finish what she started, and claim Davena's life.

She's insane with grief, guilt, rage, all manner of emotions.

I truly cannot predict what she will do.

... despite the bad, I'm sure that Samuel still would do anything he could to keep his tiny little clan together. How that might work out, I'm not sure but I do hope we find out. I'll be terribly destroyed if he's forced to kill his kibibi!

P.S. Despite the turn HC took, I totally get it and am just in AWE of the whole thing! You're both spectacular players/writers and I would happily join both of you in future adventures.

I think finding out Kithran being the broken oath broke me as well.

Oof, let's play little thieves running around and getting into trouble instead.

P.S. Do not kill your kibibi, Eol.

P.P.S. but the last thing you said 100%!

Funny you should say that! I've been entertaining the idea of a female Kazari rogue, recently... More sly and slinky than severe and savage.

P.S. PLEASE don't make me... Keep that sword to yourself!

P.P.S 100000000000%

P.P.P.S. 8000 posts?!?! Holy hell I need a hobby!

's for you both

PS. Better idea - drop that dishonoured blade; let the ground, rust, and time claim it as it should!

Kith's gf got it for her. And if she mistreated it she'd be all like, "it's lesson time!" And you do NOT want to participate in lesson time.

Now, if someone could help her get her mind right, well that's another story!

P.S. I have a YouTube list of songs on this topic now. I went deep, you guys lol

...but Cat-dad and Blade-mum do not approve! Aaaaand Kazari lessons are pretty brutal and don't usually include magical healing afterward.

As to getting Kith's mind right, well, that's kind of why the "Samuel is here" line might have been included... Baby steps, right?

Also - that play list is awesome! Been listening to the song you shared in HC QA earlier (and those suggested by You Tube after)... Hasn't helped my mood, really, but I FEEL it nonetheless. Good stuff! You've got an awesome ear.

P.S. This song happened to play on my own random playlist while I was writing Ch'dau's post this morning and has been stuck in my head since.

I've just been listening to "weight of the world" and "light and shadow" while posting for Aranwen in HC.

Perhaps I might have to add 'the world' to that list...

"If I could be where you are" was a close second to "light and shadow" for Aranwen at least with respect to Saeriel

Speaking of... if anyone were to help heal a broken or missing heart, Saeriel actually would have been a good candidate for that...

...what you're saying is that we make Davey meat, 'bag' Kith, disappear into the wilds of the Sylvari kingdoms and deprogram our daughter whilst holding each other and crying our eyes out once we've worn her down for the day? Is that what I'm hearing?

Seriously... I haven't been this sad for any of my characters since Alex Sharpe. I was gonna skip drinking, today, but man!!!

What a coincidence, Morgana has Sae right there waiting to come heal all of our mangled hearts!

There are so many things coming down the pipeline in KCandK, I am so excited.

P.S. Eol, if you enjoyed Aviva's (sang that Rabbit Hole song I posted in HC) style, I had Cemetery stuck in my head for weeks after hearing it, and GRRRLS is pretty catchy. Rabbit Hole just came up randomly one day and was so perfect--considering we were writing The Fall scene that day and all. It's how I learned about Aviva and I've really been enjoying her style.

P.P.S. Seriously you guys, Davena isn't THAAAAAT bad.

Absolutely! I thank you for tunring me on to her, today! Sooooooo fitting!

I've been getting into Zack Hemsey, myself, recently. In fact, a song he wrote for the Equalizer movie kept coming up in my head as I wrote Ch'dau's "death scene," today. Not much lyrically, really, but the "Before I die alone, I will have vengeance" bit spoke to me really hard.